Predator

Nguyen Phu Trong

Secretário Geral do Partido Comunista Vietnamita desde 19 de janeiro de 2011

Predador desde que chegou ao poder

Vietnã, 175o/180 no Ranking Mundial da Liberdade de Imprensa 2021

Dear [Name of Candidate],

I am writing to ask you what you plan to do to defend the First Amendment, freedom of the press, and the fundamental rights of journalists to practice their profession freely in what has become an increasingly hostile environment for information and news providers.

The United States, which enshrines press freedom in the First Amendment of its Constitution, is currently witnessing a drastic decline in media freedom. On June 28, one of the most horrific attacks on press freedom in the United States occurred when five employees, including four reporters, were killed at the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland. According to the US Press Freedom Tracker, which comprehensively documents press freedom violations in the US committed by national, state, and local authorities as well as private individuals, 33 journalists were arrested, 43 were physically attacked, and 15 seizures of journalists’ equipment occurred in 2017. In one of these incidents, Rep. Greg Gianforte physically assaulted a Guardian journalist the night before his state’s election. While covering the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, journalists were impersonated on social media, impeding their ability to accurately investigate the facts and disseminate information which could be vital to preventing a similar tragedy. This hostility towards the press not only risks compromising the American public’s right to be informed through journalists’ reporting, but can also degrade the public’s trust in the media itself.

This is not a partisan issue; it is a fundamental right that impacts every American no matter their politics. Journalism is at the crux of our democracy, and communities everywhere rely on journalists to provide them with information that is essential to their daily decision-making processes. It was local investigative journalist Curt Guyette who broke the story about Flint, Michigan’s lack of access to clean water in 2014, prompting years of class-action lawsuits, protests, and subsequent federal assistance to the city in order to try to resolve the crisis. Reporters Megan Twohey, Jodi Kantor, and Ronan Farrow publicized sexual assault allegations against influential Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein in 2017, leading to the ubiquitous and powerful #MeToo movement which brought decades of sexual abuse and harassment across multiple industries to light.

Yet freedom of the press in the US is currently in dire need of congressional support. It is our civic duty as one of the world’s leading democracies to uphold principles that support and protect the rights of journalists so that they may hold those in power accountable and ensure an informed and engaged community.

If you are elected, what do you plan to do to protect this utterly essential component of our democracy? What are your plans to protect the public’s right to be informed through a free and independent press?

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Hello, my name is _______ and I am from [city, state].

I’m calling to let you know that [candidate/representative]'s stance on freedom of the press is extremely important in my decision to vote. I feel that this is not a partisan issue, but a fundamental right that impacts every American no matter their politics.

I have become increasingly concerned with the growing climate of hostility for journalists in this country, and I would like for [candidate/representative] to publicly address what they will do to defend press freedom if [he/she] is elected.

Thank you.

Freedom of the press is suffering in the US. @[yourcandidate] if you are elected to serve in Congress, what are your plans to protect journalists and our right to be informed? Will you #DefendPressFreedom?

Democracy depends on a free and independent press and its ability to hold those in power accountable. [@yourcandidate] will you take measures to protect journalism and the First Amendment? Will you #DefendPressFreedom?

In June, four reporters were murdered in an appalling targeted attack on the Capital Gazette and freedom of the press. [@yourcandidate] what will you do to address the growing threat to journalists in this country? #DefendPressFreedom

Press freedom is in steady decline in the US. I want my representative to defend the work of journalists as well as my right to be informed. [@yourcandidate] if you are elected what will you do to protect a free press? #DefendPressFreedom

Journalists play a crucial role in our democracy by keeping us informed and holding those in power accountable. And yet in the US, attacks on journalists are becoming more common, undermining the media's role and creating opportunities for government overreach, the erosion of press freedom, and impeding our right to be informed. I’m contacting my candidates and encouraging them to defend press freedom during their midterm election campaign. Join me at DefendPressFreedom.com

A free press is essential to our democracy. Communities everywhere rely on journalists to report on our government’s actions and hold public figures accountable, providing us with the information we need to make decisions every day. And yet physical, verbal, and online attacks against journalists in the US are increasing at an astonishing rate. I’m contacting my candidates and encouraging them to defend press freedom during their midterm election campaign. You should too. Read more at DefendPressFreedom.com

Press freedom is declining in the US at an alarming rate. Physical, verbal, and online attacks against journalists have increased drastically in the last two years. As the US midterm elections approach, we must remind our congressional candidates that journalists play a crucial role in our democracy by keeping us informed and holding those in power accountable. I’m contacting my representatives and encouraging them to defend press freedom during their midterm election campaign. Join in and help me spread the word at DefendPressFreedom.com

MODO DE PREDAÇÃO: gene totalitário

Nguyen Phu Trong conhece bem a profissão de jornalista, tendo-a exercido durante grande parte da sua carreira. Pelo menos, ele conhece no sentido vietnamita: no país, ainda que existam milhares de jornais, revistas, canais de televisão e portais de notícias, há apenas um editor-chefe, ou seja, o chefe do departamento central de propaganda do Partido Comunista do Vietnã (PCV) - que recebe ordens diretamente do secretário-geral, Nguyen Phu Trong. Este último tem o perfil do apparatchik perfeito, que ascendeu na hierarquia do partido para se alçar à presidência da Assembleia Nacional em 2006 e, em seguida, à presidência do Politburo, cinco anos depois. Mas o “camarada Nguyen” também se estabeleceu como um temível estrategista, usando métodos maquiavélicos para impor sua linha conservadora dentro do Partido-Estado e reproduzir o gene totalitário do PCV. Assim, publicações especializadas, que tradicionalmente ecoavam debates ideológicos e pragmáticos que existiam dentro do partido, foram radicalmente escanteadas a partir do segundo mandato de Nguyen Phu Trong, em 2016. Ao mesmo tempo, Trong criou um sistema de repressão absolutamente implacável para enfrentar o crescente poder de uma sociedade civil que necessita de informações confiáveis, sobretudo na Internet. Para isso, o chefe do PCV conta com um aparato policial e judiciário sob suas ordens: persegue blogueiros e jornalistas independentes com base em artigos do Código Penal que punem, entre outros, quem ousar "abusar de suas liberdades democráticas". Um programa completo.

ALVOS PREFERIDOS: aqueles que recusam a propaganda

Local privilegiado para a divulgação de informações independentes e opiniões divergentes da linha do partido, a Internet se tornou o alvo central dos ataques de Nguyen Phu Trong - e mais especificamente da Força 47, uma unidade de trolls cibernéticos inteiramente a suas ordens. As primeiras vítimas são blogueiros e ciber dissidentes, que se apoderaram da web na virada dos anos 2010 e, desde 2016, têm sido alvo de prisões em massa e penas de prisão extremamente pesadas. Mais de trinta deles estão definhando nas cadeias do país, em condições absolutamente indignas. O poder de Nguyen Phu Trong também tem como alvo os jornalistas do país que, como ele, se construíram na imprensa oficial, mas que, ao contrário dele, não suportavam mais vomitar a propaganda do Politburo e estavam empenhados em trabalhar pela construção de uma imprensa livre. Assim, a partir de 2020, uma onda de prisões teve como alvo vários deles, incluindo o vencedor do Prêmio RSF 2019, Pham Doan Trang.

DISCURSO OFICIAL: combater o pluralismo

“Sob minha liderança, o Comitê Central do Partido promete continuar a combater firmemente a expressão do pluralismo político” (26 de janeiro de 2021, no congresso do PCV)

Publié le 17.11.2016